Portrait

32 years old - Lorient - FRANCE

Originally from New Zealand, Conrad grew up in a family of keen sailors. Setting out from Bali (Indonesia), he spent the first year of his life on a boat. At the age of 15, he moved to the States, where he studied economics, before setting up his own firm making titanium bikes. During those years in America, Conrad pushed back his limits cycling and running and took part at the highest level. The sea however was far removed from his daily life. But that was only to last a while. Fed up with remaining ashore, he went back to sailing.

He had no hesitation in letting everything go and turned up in England with just a bag of clothes and with one idea on his mind. He wanted to take part in the legendary Vendée Globe. He offered his services free of charge to the British sailor Steve White, who took part in the 2008-2009 edition of the non-stop solo round the world race. In late 2008, he moved to Lorient, where he still lives today. Like many other sailors, he discovered solo ocean racing through the Mini Transat. In spite of not having much time to prepare, he managed to complete his first transatlantic race. In the following year, he tackled the Route du Rhum in Class40 once again moving in at the last moment. But once again, he managed to complete his race.

Ambitious and confident in his ability to achieve great things, Conrad Colman then moved to Class40 with the Global Ocean Race, the double-handed race around the world with stopovers. He won four out of the five legs and was the overall winner. After this success, he set about looking for sponsors for his own IMOCA project. At the same time, he prepared Bertrand de Broc’s boat (Votre Nom Autour du Monde) for the 2013 Transat Jacques Vabre and the 2014 Route du Rhum. Then, he met the Hungarian sailor, Nandor Fa who invited him to become his crewman in the Barcelona World Race, the IMOCA double-handed race around the world. During this trip, they suffered a lot of technical problems, but they hung on and finished after 110 days.

If Conrad Colman loves ocean racing, it’s because the sport brings together everything he needs to be happy in life: entrepreneurship, top class racing and adventure.

Prizes

Monocoque IMOCA

IMOCA60 100% Natural Energy

Launched in 2005, this IMOCA60 boat set off in the same year at the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre in the hands of two Brazilian skippers, Walter Antunes and Raphaël Coldefy. Then, the boat was bought by Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty who took part in the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe aboard her. But after a lot of damage, the skipper had to change course and then retire. Since then, the boat hasn’t raced in any major events, as she belongs to the Sensation Océan company, which puts on trips for firms and individuals. Looking forward to the Vendée Globe, Conrad Colman has begun work on her aiming to ensure she is reliable.